▼ LARSKA
• Luka Stoisavljević – bass & vocals
• Dušan Lazić – drums
• Duško Djed Jovanović – bass
Larska is a trio from Kragujevac combining a range of influences — stoner, grunge, psych and desert rock — in an unusual line-up consisting of drums and two bass guitars.
Their massive wall of sound, built around extensive use of effects, brings to mind some of the iconic bands of the 1970s and 1990s — Pink Floyd, Kyuss, Melvins, Black Sabbath, Alice in Chains and Nirvana. At the same time, Larska manages to put its own stamp on these well-established formulas, bringing a fresh and distinctive approach.
The band quickly made a name for itself through appearances at festivals for both emerging and established bands: winners of BARF 2016, finalists at the Bunt Rock Festival in both 2016 and 2017, where they won third place and the award for Best Instrumentalist, as well as appearances at Demofest, Arsenal Fest, ŠLF and D.U.K.
With their 2019 debut album “Can’t Steal It,” Larska demonstrated a mature and fully developed sound. The album received praise from both Serbian and international reviewers and was recognised as one of the notable domestic releases of the year. Balkanrock included Can’t Steal It among its Top 25 Regional Albums of 2019, while Helly Cherry Webzine featured it on its list of 50 Regional Releases We’ll Remember 2019 By.
The debut was also featured on Stoned Meadow of Doom, one of the major YouTube platforms dedicated to stoner and doom music. Following its release, the album received radio airplay throughout the region, as well as in Poland, Hungary, Germany, Ukraine and the Netherlands, and spent more than a week at the top of a radio chart in Houston, Texas.
Following a Belgrade show with Stoned Jesus, their second appearance at the Hali Gali showcase, and an album promotion at Drugstore Belgrade, Larska continued performing live to round off the promotion of their debut album — also available on CD and cassette — while preparing the ground for their still-unreleased second album.
➤ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larska_kg/
➤ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larskaband/
➤ Bandcamp: https://larska.bandcamp.com/album/cant-steal-it
➤ Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/105701922
➤ Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/cant-steal-it/1474078205
➤ Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/5EqvF2Jb2fja3TFyAtSCbF
➤ SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-486798513
➤ Booking: larskaserbia@gmail.com
Reviews:
Balkanrock – https://bit.ly/2sLWYHW
Headshotmusic UK – https://bit.ly/2PBloN2
Serbian Metal Portal – https://bit.ly/38WVAT6
Baltazar Rock UK – https://bit.ly/2EAOrtW
Andrea Kane – https://bit.ly/2SjfthF
Helly Cherry Webzine – https://bit.ly/2rd1DCe
Liman Crew – https://bit.ly/2r52FQu
Mulj.net / Bučan pas – https://bit.ly/2PG2epz
➤ Live session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0OyG5Am3Fo&t=16s
▼ ŠPAJZ
• Aleksandar Furunović – drums
• Nikolaj Petronijević – bass
• Vladimir Maksić – guitar
• Darko Đorđević – guitar
ŠPAJZ was formed in Kragujevac in March 2010. The band consists of Vladimir Maksić on guitar, Darko Đorđević on guitar, Aleksandar Furunović on drums and bass guitar.
Most of their songs were — and still are — created during jam sessions. Their music is instrumental, drawing on a wide range of influences, from Jimi Hendrix and Disciplina Kičme to fusion and jazz, and at times sounding like the soundtrack to a great film — as in Ovaj lift nema vrata (“This Elevator Has No Doors”), the track that also gave their album its title.
ŠPAJZ is regarded as one of the most distinctive bands to emerge from this part of the region — the kind of band whose live performances never leave audiences indifferent, clear-headed, or without that strangely sweet ringing in their ears.
Their set will certainly include a few tracks from their second album, “Abažur,” which is already finished and is simply “waiting for the right moment.”
